Notre Dame-Ohio State: Ryan Day previews showdown in South Bend

“I think you build up in these first few games to figure out where you are going into this game. And you go from there. I think we got some confidence going into this game. We got a rhythm. We got to have a great week of practice. It’s going to come down to winning the line of scrimmage, for sure. It’s going to come down to the fourth quarter and who’s going to be there in the end.

“They have a really good team. Marcus (Freeman) does a great job. They have a great staff. We got to go win a top 10 game on the road. Our guys are really excited for this game. You could see it Sunday. You could see it yesterday. Guys buzzing around. So now we have to have a great week of practice, and it’s going to come down to who wants to compete more.”

“Again, top 10 game on the road. These are the kind of games why you come to Ohio State. This is an exciting series because it’s not something that happens often. Ohio State, Notre Dame, two of the bigger teams in the Midwest getting together for a home and home. Last year’s atmosphere was electric. It will be the same way on Saturday night. Our guys are really fired up for this.”

“You always have to know where he is. You have to be aware of that. You have to be smart about what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. I think that’s the biggest thing when you’re dealing with a great corner; you have to know where he is. Not that you have to change your game plan, but you have to know, is it right? Left? Field? Boundary? Those types of things so your quarterback has an idea of the matchups he’s dealing with.”

“We’re going to do what we do, but at the same time he’s a very good corner. Good cover skills. Competitive. Good change of direction. Runs well. He’s very talented.”

“Probably not, but that’s the game. Been there a few times when I was at Boston College. Lots of respect for the history of the program and what they’ve done. Grew up watching Notre Dame. Wonderful program. Great tradition. They do a great job. But yeah, these are great moments. This is the highest level of college football. All eyes will be on this game, and that’s the way we love it.”

“Kyle has to go play the game and we have to do whatever we can to win the game. That’s the bottom line. Whatever that looks like. We’re always looking for balance. We want balance. There are certain times where, like last year, we ran the ball a ton down the stretch and we were good making five or six yards a carry. But then there are also times when you have to throw it more because of what they’re doing and how the game is playing out. We have to be able to pivot either way. Whatever it takes to win the game.”

“Very different. Different coach. Different quarterback. You can tell Hartman is a veteran. He’s been around. He’s played a lot of football. Accurate. Intelligent. A lot of good attributes for a quarterback. He’s very good. He won a lot of games at Wake Forest and obviously he’s 4-0 now. Efficient. And I think they are doing a really good job with him.

“They’re running the ball. Running the ball out of various personnel groupings. Efficient. I think just a different style of quarterback than when they has Buchner last year. That was more of a quarterback run, spread run game. This is more pro style.”

“I think anytime you deal with a pro-style run game you’re dealing with run and play action. They want to establish the run. It’s clear. You can tell that. I think Estime is running really well. Running hard. Once that happens, it opens up things down the field. That goes hand in hand. They’re doing a good job of that. They have a good plan in place. It’s a good challenge for our defense. We’ll have a long conversation today. We got to be able to rise to the challenge. We got to be aggressive but we also got to make sure we’re running to the ball and giving great effort. Avoiding big plays, all those types of things.”

“Yeah, I think it’s a factor. How much of one? I think Kyle has been around. He hasn’t played a whole bunch of football, but he’s been around. He’s seen it. He’s older and more mature than a freshman who is coming into the same situation. But I think experience does play a part of it. It’s not the number one thing overall. There are a lot of things that come with it. But I do think it’s significant.”

“Some guys who have played a bunch of football. I think both corners are playing well. The safeties are playing well. I think the linebackers are excellent. They’ve seen a lot of football, played a lot of football. They are good players. There are some NFL players on that defense. They’re well-coached. They don’t give you a lot fo freebies. Not a lot fo missed assignments. They tackle well. They’re physical. It’s exactly what we expected, so we got to go play well.”